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Basketball legend Dikembe Mutombo is being treated in Atlanta, USA for treatment for a brain tumour. The NBA, in which the Congolese shone in the 1990s and 2000s, revealed this information in a press release published on Saturday October 15.
“Mont Mutombo” facing a new challenge. NBA Ambassador and member of the Hall of Fame (Hall of Fame) of the North American Basketball League since 2015, Dikembe Mutombo has been battling illness. The NBA, with the agreement of the former player and his family, revealed the information on Saturday October 15.
The Congolese currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor “, announces the NBA, according to which” he receives the best possible care from a team of specialists in Atlanta » et « he displays an excellent state of mind as he begins this treatment ». « Dikembe and his family ask to respect their privacy during this time, so that they can focus on his recovery. They are grateful for prayers and best wishes “, concludes the press release.
NBA boss Adam Silver also sent a message of support: All our thoughts and prayers go out to Dikembe, one of the world’s great humanitarians. »
An African legend in the NBA
Aged 56, Dikembe Mutombo played in the NBA for 18 years, from 1991 to 2009, and reached the finals twice, in 2001 with the Philadelphia Sixers (loss to the Los Angeles Lakers) and in 2003 with the New Jersey Nets, which have since become the Brooklyn Nets (loss to the San Antonio Spurs). From the height of his 2.18m, the Congolese native of Kinshasa has risen among the best defenders in the history of the NBA.
Quadruple best defender of the year, eight times selected for the All-Star Game, Dikembe Mutombo is also the second best blocker in the history of the league: with 3,289 blocks, he does better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (3,189 blocks) and is second only to the Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon (3,830 blocks). The Congolese also made himself famous with his ” Stone Finger Wave », a gesture of negation with the finger that he made after each block, as if to say « Not in my house » (« Not at my house »).
► To read also: NBA: Dikembe Mutombo, the ambassador of African basketball
